Follow My Lead
by Someone's Charm
Summary: During GRev Mathilda doesn't know what to do to stop Barthez, but Kai seems to hold every answer to her questions. KaiMathilda


Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to me. If it did, Kai would have been paired up with someone. Some say it was Hilary, which I agree. I just detest how they tried to make it look like Hilary liked Tyson. She's his freakin' baby-sitter!

I'm in a bad mood because I had to retype this after something went wrong and it was deleted. Oh, the original was safe. It's just that I'm retyping this for a second time so you, my readers, may enjoy it better.

I am a rareshipper, as many of you have probably already figured out. I have written a Tala/Hilary, Bryan/Julia, and now this. Write more rareships, my fellow writers. How many times have you seen a Kai/Rei, Kai/Tyson, or a Mariah/Rei? They are so abundant that it is deluding this section of of diversity among couples. A Claude/Mathilda? A Kai/Julia? A Mariam/Tala (hey, that gives me an idea)? What about those? A Tala/Hilary? Dare to become bold in your romance writing, my readers! Be bold enough to let go of the cannon and common couplings to what you feel is sweet in your heart or mind! They've never spoken or even looked at each other in the series. GOOD! That'll make you think more carefully into their personalities and how they would react to the other's personality. It'll never happen. The best writers are never deterred by that! The best take the ridiculous and make it into perfect sense. You're not the best. If you don't aim to be the best, then don't write. You should always aim for your writing to the best of your ability so that the reader can see this beautiful story you've set out before them. Always aim to improve through practice, which is basically writing twice as much.

I really didn't plan on making a speech, I promise I didn't. It just came out. I hope you feel inspired now!

Join the Rareshipping Movement, fellow writers and readers.

The first part of this happens right after the episode Fire and Water. Then the next part takes place right after Same Old Dirty Tricks, when it's BBA Revolutions against Barthez Battalion. The last part is when they're ready to leave for Australia.

* * *

Sorrowful tears flowed from her eyes and down her skin to finally soak into the purple glove she had been using to wipe them away. Her chest heaved in pain as another fresh burst of grief engulfed her. Mathilda backed up against the wall and window, hardly able to support herself. It was almost as though she were slowly suffocating since the very beginning of the cursed tournament. All of this pain and fear was becoming far too much for her to handle. Coach Barthez wanted more out of them no matter what the cost they paid. He demanded perfection and stooped to the aid of dirty, underhanded strategies. After this, she feared that her view on the world would become too bleak to ever possibly enjoy.

Not caring enough to stop her tears, Mathilda gave up on wiping them away and put back on the purple glove which reached several inches below her shoulder. That arm felt warm again, the thick fabric casting out the cold. Nervously, her fingers raked through her gentle pink hair as she contemplated more and more on her hopeless situation. Was there any way to save her bit beast? If there was, the solution eluded her.

It was useless to disobey Coach Barthez. Without him, they'd never make it past the more difficult teams. She had seen the amazing displays of beyblading from the Blitzkreig Boys and knew that the BBA Revolution had to be good because they had the world champion within their ranks. Both teams they would be beyblading one after the other. Her team would never be able to withstand so much. Even if it probably wasn't moral, the customized beyblades that Barthez gave them improved their chances by such a great deal it seemed foolish to turn him down. That was how Miguel had put it one night earlier in the competition.

Mathilda followed out of fear. It was not of her knowledge what this man could do to her if she refused his orders or informed the BBA of Barthez's plans. She only knew that he could harm her far worse than he already did. That unnerved her from any mutinous thoughts from the team's "father figure" of a coach.

A gloved hand covered her left cheek, obstructing the stream which soaked into the person's fingerless black glove. It did not stroke the side of her face, but was instead motionless.

Mathilda looked up to see who had come to her, not having anticipated any visitors. She had thought at first that it would be Miguel standing there, never failing to comfort her at times like this, but this was someone she would have never guessed. Kai Hiwatari, one of the top beybladers in the world, was standing a mere six inches away from her own quivering figure. His dark wine-colored eyes stared down at her with an almost stoic gaze, the rest of his body relaxed. Her heart twisted as their eyes made contact causing the flow of wet sorrow to become heavier.

Kai appeared unaffected by that and simply did not move. He was a cold statue, unnusually warm hand unmoving on her skin. His unwavering stare,focused,never left her face even once.Mathilda didn't know what to think of this gesture nor how to react to it.

His fingertips were cool against her warm skin while his black fingerless glove was intensely hot. It was such a kind, simple gesture that it left her a bit stunned.

_'W-why is he here?' _she wondered, unable to voice her greatest question.

The two beybladers had never spoken to one another. She couldn't recall ever even hearing his voice. Hadn't she glimpsed him before the present? Yes, there had been the opening ceremonies. All eyes had gone towards the Blitzkreig Boys upon the Russian team being introduced to many spectators and the millions of the world. That was when she had seen Kai in person, the other times before being on TV, magazines, posters, and various fansites that hosted many perverted fantasies. She already knew meeting someone face-to-face was far different, but no one had ever said anything about the difference up-close.

His eyes held unknown meaning behind the dark violet orbs, while the blue facial markings contrasted greatly against Kai's pale skin. The slate grey hair left shadows that darkened his features and maturity brought sharpness to them as well. The white scarf, which trailed behind him in such a languid way no cape could match, represented his nature of being enigmatic and lofty.

Mathilda turned her head, not wanting to see those eyes. They pried into her own and the thoughts, secrets behind them were brought to surface followed by uncontrollable emotions. It was unnerving. He seemed to gently search, however. Though it wasn't a request, it certainly wasn't a demand that she stand before him while slowly reveling secrets she hid with humiliation.

The side of her nose was now against the bottom of his thumb, near where the glove ended at the wrist. She felt the glove heat and become slightly damp from her breathing. Mathilda realized she enjoyed the feel of the fabric. It was soft and strong compared to her meekness, protecting her fragile body from the harm of outsiders.

She shifted her head, allowing the fabric to caress her cheek once more. Feeling relief flood her, negative emotions soon slowly began fleeing as the Barthez Battalion soldier tried to stay subtle in reveling the warmth of his palm. Kai didn't appear to realize the emotions he had evoked inside of her, but he was quickly seeing how restrained Mathilda was at the moment.

He pondered a reaction. Kai knew he could either let the girl take the strange solace she found in him or walk away, which was always a choice for everything despite consequences that followed. Nothing forced Kai to stay here and console this younger girl on an opposing team. Perhaps it was sympathy that made him stop and reach out to her. No, it went beyond sympathy.

Kai felt _empathy_.

Her head was now visibly nodding and turning to rub against the inside of his hand. Mathilda's innocent dark ruby eyes had closed as logic faded behind a child-like desire for someone to hold her and say everything was all right, despite whatever the truth may be. Kai watched in mute amusement as she found his hand, his calloused glove, shockingly soft. Fingertips were accidentally brushed through Mathilda's candy pink hair to feel the silky strands and lightly grazed her ear.

Kai's violet eyes widened the smallest fraction. She was now completely _nuzzling _his hand, intent as a small kitten for love. Mathilda no longer cared of what Kai thought, but mainly because she had forgotten that he would likely have strong opinions about this. All she knew was that this was Kai, his hand gave comfort, and she wanted that comfort to consume her and expel the grievances inside.

A kiss touched the palm of his hand. The slate haired youth did what he could not to jerk at this unexpected act while his chest shuddered from an unstable breath. With no one watching, it went unnoticed. This girl really was desperate.

"He won't go away."

Astonished at the deepness and seriousness that Kai's voice held, Mathilda opened her eyes and looked up to meet his while her hands unconsciously took a hold of the one she had ravished. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears while his remained strong and calm.

"You'll have to make him." Kai's free hand came up to cup her chin and came closer, tilting his head down. "Can you do that?"

Mathilda continued gazing up at him. Kai was beyond what she had expected. An easy first guess was that he was antisocial, cold, and quiet. It was true, though not entirely. This encounter helped her realize that there was so much more to him. No one who hated all beings could spread such warmth from just a single hand. There was just so much more.

"Uh…uh huh", she breathed out.

Kai stood up and took both hands from her, causing Mathilda to close her eyes in despair from being denied a longer time to clasp his hand in her own two.

The scarf brushed her legs as Kai turned to walk away. His footsteps were calm and even while leaving, soon turning the corner and becoming unseen. She found it a great shame that he had gone as suddenly as he had come to her aid.

Sighing, she opened her eyes and turned around to stare out the window which ran the length of the hallway wall. It was nice to see Cairo from a different point of view. Mathilda thought it was fun to see all of these different countries and their cultures.

He told her to stand up to Coach Barthez, but could she? The man would hurt her, expel her from the rest of the tournament, or…

_'No! I wouldn't let that happen! My friends wouldn't let that happen. Miguel wouldn't…'_

Despair shattered her heart and hope. Even her good friend was afraid, and she had always seen Miguel as the strongest and bravest person she had ever had the joy of meeting. Mathilda was always meek. If Miguel couldn't win against Coach Barthez's tyranny, then what gave her any chance of defending against their tormenter?

_'Kai told me as if this was really simple.'_

The Blitzkreig Boy almost sounded as if he had once followed his own suggestion. Perhaps there was a glimmer of a chance if the advice really did once work, but only if she could find strength to overshadow her timid nature.

Her thoughts froze as her vision focused on what stared back in the window. The cleaning staff had done their jobs well, for there was her reflection staring back. Her eyes widened in shock at the purple bruise on her left cheek, only two inches away from her eye.

_'Was he actually trying to cover this?'_

She could feel her breathing becoming unstable as she recalled the reason she had been in the hallway crying. Mathilda had tried refusing to go along with Coach Barthez's plans for Pierce Hedgehog and she had been shoved into the wall for disobedience. It hadn't occurred to her that a bruise might have formed from that. It wasn't sore, at least she had that to be thankful for. Perhaps a little bit of cover-up would help.

_'Does he...know?'_

* * *

Heart pounding in her chest, she threw the steel doors open and continued sprinting through the building which held precisely twenty training areas, any of which he could be inside. It would likely be a long search where her body could give out at any time, legs collapsing beneath her. Her breath had already become ragged from running all the way there from the beyblade stadium, fresh from a disastrous beybattle. Mathilda continued running past various rooms, not even bothering to look inside. Runnning felt good. Running felt safe. Running kept her too tired to think.

She didn't want to be reminded by herself that Pierce Hedgehog was gone. He was destroyed in a suicide attack against Strata Dragoon. No, the beyblade she had worked so hard to build was destroyed. Her beloved bit beast and friend was dead.

It was a cruel reality that stung her mind and crushed a once joyful spirit. Mathilda's dear friend had always been there, nudging her mentally with his adorable little snout in a comforting gesture. He loved playing in the beydish as much as she had. The hedgehog had never given up no matter what the match had in store. Not even when it was predetermined for him to die.

Bit beasts didn't really die, did they? That was something other organisms, humans, suffered not these wondrous celestial beings. She tried to make herself believe that he had just gone somewhere else, anywhere else that was away from the abuse he suffered from practicing too much. He was safe and happy now. Maybe.

_'But you told me everything would be okay, that everything would be fine! I don't know where to go but to find you. I wantto know. I want an answer. Why did you lie to me, Kai?'_

Her legs suddenly felt weighed down and joints ached terribly, gradually slowing her progress through the hallway from a sprint to a pitiful jog. Mathilda didn't pause to catch her breath because of a desperate hope of finding him soon.

_'Why do I want to find him so badly? What am I really expecting him to say? What if he ignores me?'_

She truly didn't know if Kai would turn away a girl so distraught. Maybe someone he didn't know, but he knew her. Well, maybe at least to see what she found so upsetting.

The said Russian Mathilda was searching for emerged from a room at the far end of the hallway. Kai was strangely alone as he stepped on to an elevator at the very end of the corridor, turning around after pushing the button for the desired destination. Surprise was evident in his violet orbs when they fell upon a weeping Mathilda.

Kai knew what had happened. The Blitzkreig Boys had viewed the spectacle prior to departing for the BBA's local training facilities due to an upcoming match the next day. Not that they needed too much of it due to who they would be facing. He had left his teammates to practice a few things on his own without their ever watchful eyes. Now he prepared to leave for the upper level to join them. Training still did not rid his mind of the latest events, however.

Her bit beast was gone, a disaster that is the ultimate defeat to a beyblader. It was a searing scar that would leave the person too devastated to beyblade again. When the bit beast dies, a part of themselves shatters with the bit chip. Mathilda's Pierce Hedgehog gave the girl what little courage she possessed. She couldn't possibly thrive in beyblading without the small mammal alongside.

The doors were closing quickly while his hands stayed by his side. It was a decision to make, the same one as the last time: comfort her or leave. She would hug him and sob into his scarf, none of this he doubted not happening. Mathilda wouldn't let him leave until he somehow proved that things would be sorted out for the better. Emotions would drive the girl out of logic, assuming she had any and it hadn't already left her.

Her gloved arm reached out to him. She was still so far, too far in fact.

"Wait!"

The portal would close in a short time, the elevator would then take him to the top level where his teammates were located. There, she wouldn't follow in hurt of Kai's cold shoulder and the heartless message behind it. It would ben like slapping her. One more second and-

The doors stopped less than an inch apart. Kai had used two fingers to force it to pause in its action and reopen for her. He found himself once again choosing the less selected act of small compassion.

Relief washed over Mathilda as well as a touch of happiness. He didn't ignore her. Perhaps now Kai would explain to her how everything went so wrong. It was ridiculous to blindly think that he held all the answers, especially to her life which was completely separate of his until an hour before her bit beast's fatal match. It could even be considered silly of her to assume so. He had only spoken to her on one short occasion and here she was already running to him for solace from problems that seemed to ravage her soul.. Why not Miguel? Or Claude? Perhaps even Aaron?

Her outstretched hand grasped the fine fabric of Kai's scarf when she finally stepped on to the elevator with him. Mathilda nearly collapsed against him, against the invincible phoenix and she wept into the scarf which she now used to hide her face from the world. Her other hand, curled into a small fist, clasped around the pieces left of her bit chip. Kai could feel her trembling uncontrollably while hysterical sobs reached his ears. His scarf would surely be soaked after this encounter.

"I know what happened", Kai told her, looking down at the top of her head. His voice forever serene.

"Pierce Hedgehog", Mathilda sobbed. "Coach Barthez, he made me."

Her words were muffled yet fully understandable to him. Kai shook his head at this miniature mess he had gotten himself into. Yes, he considered this a miniature problem. The answer was so simple and Mathilda was only letting it become complicated with her raging female emotions. Many times it was frustrating how loose people were with their feelings, but sometimes he wished he could live so naively. Other times the idea of being so blind sickened him.

"Barthez told you. He didn't make you."

Her head snapped up to look at him. "What?" She immediately felt anger at this hint of mockery towards Pierce Hedgehog's demise. Then again, this didn't add up. No one had ever spoken outside of the team of what Coach Barthez did, so it made no sense how Kai was able to get so close to the hidden truth unless-

"You probably handed over your beyblade for him to rig."

Mathilda was about to question him, but Kai abruptly cut her off. To him, there was no excuse to signing the Devil's contract for her very own bit beast and the truth was painfully obvious it amazed him no one else had the brains to see it.

"I know. No one could beat Rei that easily, especially without touching him. Barthez needs to learn to become more discrete."

That explained what he had said, all but one thing that nagged at her mind. "How did you know he hurts us?"

Of course, he would have known by the bruise that was presently hidden under a glob of cover-up.There was a chance that the make-up hadbeen washed away by her tears already to reveal the bluish area on her face. Still, the marking didn't explain how he knew of Barthez's oppression against his own beybladers.

Kai thought before speaking. "I've dealt with someone like him before. People like them are all the same.

"Is…is that what you did?" she asked timidly, her eyes sparkling with tears that had paused from falling.

Kai assumed that she meant what he had told her earlier, guessing correctly. "Yeah."

"Did it work?" Mathilda asked with her optics glimmering with the smallest bit of hope that a happy ending could have come out of a rebellion instead of anguish.

He nodded. "For all five of us."

She blinked in disbelief. Kai had been in a team too, just like her, where everyone was afraid of a tormenter. She wouldn't have guessed it, this truth seemed nearly unreal. Kai Hiwatari relenting to someone out of fear and intimidation? He never appeared to be the type to dread anything or anyone. However, he could identify and still help her regardless of any sorrowful memories that might have been brought near the surface.

"What do I do now?" she begged to know. "Everything is horrible now."

As selfish as it seemed, Mathilda continued to lookto Kai for an answer. She had reached out and held on to his strength in a desperate attempt to keep herself from drowning, now blindly depending on him.

"You can't try to push him away. He has to be removed by force." An idea came to mind. "What about your teammates?"

Mathilda lowered her head to let her rest against the area the scarf occupied between Kai's neck and chest. It was comfortable there. She would rather hide there instead of telling anyone that the entire team felt too threatened to stand up, but Kai couldn't be denied the answer if he were to help.

"Everyone is too scared, even Miguel. If he can't stand up to Barthez, then I can't either."

She felt his chest rise and fall with a sigh.

"You're cut from the rest of the tournament."

"Yeah…"

"Good."

"What?" she gasped out. He certainly wasn't comforting any longer. What ideas and plans were forming within this unique teen's mind?

"Become stronger", were his parting words before removing her from him. Tala would give an inquiry as to his lengthy delay. Oh well. It wasn't as if the Blitzkreig Boys weren't already adapted to Kai's late arrivals. He stepped off of the elevator after pushing the button for the bottom floor of the building. She wouldn't be traveling any further with him at this point. "You won't have to do anything else."

"Right!" she told him with a nod, looking much more courageous now then when she had first stepped on to the lift with Kai. She suddenly felt as if making the transition from submissive to strong was not so beyond her grasp. It was also more than reassuring to know that he would handle this. Kai was just the kind of person you could depend on if he told you he would do something, whatever it might be.

The doors to the elevator closed and Kai found himself alone once more. The faint sound of beyblades clashing called him to the beydish like a phoenix's alluring song. He and Tala needed to warm up for their upcoming match.

* * *

She simply couldn't deny the smile on her face expressing the intense relief and joy coursing through her insides. Barthez was gone! He wouldn't control them not a minute longer! No more cheating or scheming to win their matches in the tournament. Everything was good again. True, Pierce Hedgehog was gone from her forever but at the moment Mathilda still felt the after effects of the match where it was Barthez Battalion versus the Blizkrieg Boys. Looking back on it, she felt fairly childish for not having realized right away that Kai would be facing off against her own team. It wasn't as if that mattered at the moment, because the glorious phoenix had kept to his word and freed her of a confining steel cage.

Her teammates, her friends, had defied Barthez. Aaron had not used the rigged beyblade against Tala in their beybattle, despite that the odds for victory were slim against such an impressive opponent. He was nervous, but he lost with honor and faced Barthez. The man was no longer Coach Barthez to any of them, just Barthez.

And then Miguel, he had beybattled Kai. Her blonde friend told Barthez point-blank that they were no longer his pawns for conquest over the sport. They would fight without his control, losing and winning with their dignity while keeping beyblading pride intact. Now the world would finally see the team's true colors.

Her happiness was so vast that Mathilda found it difficult waiting in the terminal for their flight to the next destination of the World Tag-Team Championships. Miguel found her energetic behavior amusing to watch. It was uncharacteristic compared to her emotions of the past week, where he had feared she was spiraling into depression.

"Still happy?" he asked, suppressing a small laugh.

"Yup!" she smiled back. Then a more serious thought came to mind, interrupting the perkiness that had overtaken most of her. "Miguel?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you stand up to Barthez?" Mathilda requested to know.

Miguel became thoughtful of his answer before replying, "I was trying to decide whether or not I should go along with the plan. While I was thinking, I heard Kai say my name and looked up at him." He smiled slightly as the memories of that match surfaced, still fresh. "He was glaring at me as if he really did hate me. He probably did too. I wouldn't blame him. Tyson and Kai are the toughest beybladers in this tournament. They never cheat. I felt so ashamed compared to them, I decided to stand up for all of us and our beyblading."

"But you lost."

"Yeah, but I lost to noble beyblader who was worth losing to."

_'Kai?'_

In an instant, she quickly made the decision that the she needed to meet up with thedual-haired youth right away. "Hey Miguel, do you know where the Blitzkreig Boys are?"

He blinked in disbelief at her question. Why would she be interested in them? Sure, it was in the match against them that they had rebelled against Barthez but there wasn't really any thanks to give to the opposing team. Kai might deserve a thanks, but the reason why eluded him. Hating him with is eyes hardly seemed like something to thank the blader for. The group of Russians were bad news anyway and he didn't like the idea of sweet Mathilda meeting them alone.

"Why do you want to talk to them?" Miguel questioned her.

"Please? It's very important and I can't wait!" She disregarded his query.

"Why not?"

"I don't know if I'll get another chance."

Miguel would have asked her what chance this was, but declined upon recognizing haste in her words. Whatever she had to say or do was important, so he decided to take the risk of letting her go. If push came to shove, he had faith that Mathilda would now be able to fight back.

"They're at Gate Seven. You'll have to hurry if you want to catch them and make it back in time to board with us."

Thankful for being given the short time needed, she smiled up at her good friend. "Thanks, Miguel."

He nodded. "Just be careful, all right?"

Mathilda nearly dropped her duffel bag in excitement as she left it on the floor of the terminal and began running the short distance there to wherever Kai would hopefully be boarding. Being light, her feet did not pound on the floor's surface. She even felt lighter with this odd, nervous sensation inside of her happily beating heart.

"I'll be right back!" she called back over her shoulder, soon disappearing into the crowds of travelers and tourists. She was especially careful to avoid news crews who crawled all over the airport hunting for beybladers competing in the championship.

People were clustered together in several areas, making progress to Gate Seven became tiresomely slow. Several times she had to squeeze her way through, making quick apologies towhoever she had accidentally bumped into. This was almost a living maze with everyone always moving and no obvious way through within sight.

Moving around, the crowds began getting impossibly thicker with more and more kids around her age and younger. Mathilda cast her eyes upward to see that Gate Seven was in view now, where Kai and his team would be soon boarding. It was safe to assume that they hadn't arrived at this point because their fans were still present and restless. It would be too crowded to even go near Kai, though. The best plan of action would be to meet up with him at an earlier point before he was hidden by these crazed fans.

* * *

With his teammates surrounding him, Kai felt slightly at ease in this crowded building. They wouldn't let anyone break through their barrier that they had put around their friend. Despite what had happened two years ago, their friendship cemented through hardships was still unbreakable. Bryan had tried hard to break it between him and Kai, but it was still there even if he didn't want to recognize it yet. Spencer held compassion and understanding, so he had not welcomed Kai back out loud but there was an understanding that he forgave the younger teammate. As for Tala, their childhood friendship was a bond that Kai had used to get back on the team. Tala welcomed him back, even daring to say it for Kai to hear in an indirect fashion.

This team was different from the Bladebreakers. He stiffened as the hated, bitter thoughts echoed through his mind to torment him. Tyson shouldn't have been the only world champion. The team was no longer a team but an easy ride for that naïve kid to stardom. Max and Rei might not have minded nor seen it at first, but Kai could tell that now they were having different feelings now that they were the stars of their teams while in the past they had been overshadowed. True, their reasons for leaving at first were selfish but so was everyone else. No one came here for fun. Everyone came to win the world title through whatever means necessary. Every one of the bladers partaking in this were selfish.

_'Now that Barthez is out of my way, all that's left is Rei and Tyson.'_

Kai was rarely ever in a good mood, but after he had defeated Max he had begun to feel that this tournament was starting to come together. Though no one had yet been eliminated, all teams had shown their true colors and strengths. It hardly mattered to him, however. Kai held deep faith in Dranzer and knew without a doubt that the finals were in their hands. The team had suffered one loss, which was better than the rest of the competing teams could say. The only people he had to worry about were Rei and Tyson.

He knew his friend well. Rei had improved drastically since his return to White Tiger X. The nekojin felt at home with his fellow Chinese and fighting alongside his childhood friend, Lee. After that pathetic scene between Rei and Mariah at the Asian Tournament two years prior, Kai guessed that he was also feeling better being with is very close "friend". It nearly made the Hiwatari heir gag at how obvious and dull their relationship was.

Then there was Tyson, someone he'd rather defeat once and for all rather than dwell over.

Kai's body had become tense with these thoughts and emotions of frustration raging through him. At this point, all he wanted to do was calm down by beyblading. It irritated him how that wouldn't be possible for several hours and the flight would only serve to make him additionally aggravated.

"Kai!" a sweet high-pitched voice called out his name.

That was the group's only warning before a short, pink-haired girl dodged behind Tala and below Spencer's field of vision to Kai. She looked up at him with her ruby eyes, which appeared just as cute and bubbly as her voice indicated. Cheer was also evident.

_'Mathilda?' _Aggitation left him.

Seeing that they were stunned, Mathilda threw out whatever hesitation was weighing her down and leaned up to boldly set her lips against Kai's. The receiver of this kiss took one step backwards to balance himself and this new body leaning against him. One hand reached up and took a fierce hold of the her vest, inspiring her to take a hold of his scarf in one of her own hands. The though of pushing her away never came. Kai seemed to instead roughly jerk her closer to attempt at deepening this sweet sensation on his lips. It felt somehow like they had to break apart, that they had no choice. Mathilda, excited by her newfound boldness, quickly flicked her tongue against his bottom lip and fell away. As she did so, both let go of the other and stared awkwardly.

She had originally planned for it to be a quick peck followed by a hasty apology and thank you, but when he grabbed her collar everything preplanned was made irrelevant. Even though they both knew it couldn't last long, they carried it out as long as the other didn't fall away out of the other's grip. What had made him accept the show of affection?

Kai, meanwhile, was trying to piece together why she had done that and in front of his teammates nonetheless. Or perhaps he was the only one affected by Tala, Bryan, and Spencer have watched the entire spectacle and were without a doubt still waiting for the couple to say some words of explanation. Mathilda couldn't have just come to kiss him, and since when was boldness a part of her? He had never considered her to be the forward type even when Barthez wasn't there oppressing her.

"Did you want to tell me something?" Kai asked. His voice was so normal it almost sounded as if he hadn't just been in a fairly good lip-lock.

Mathilda appeared to relax. She hadn't expected him to be happy about it, but he certainly wasn't mad with her actions. Kai just wanted to know what she wanted to tell him.

"I just wanted to thank you. I really appreciate everything you did for me, Kai. I mean, I know you only won because that's what you're supposed to do in the tournament, but you still helped me and my friends a lot", Mathilda thanked him, never averting her eyes away even when a blush blossomed upon her features.

Kai thought for a moment, considering very carefully what he wanted to say. It would be something he'd have to stick to, due to his pride, but his sharp instinct gave confidence that these words would not be later regretted. They were safe to say. After all, Mathilda's life wouldn't contain what plagued his.

He gave her a nod. "Whenever."

Whenever she needed help, she could go to him and Kai would aid her in whatever problem was distressing the small girl.

Mathilda gave him a light smile, eyes sparkling. She had caught the meaning and was once more thankful to him, for having him. It was reassuring to know that if guidance was needed, she could turn to Kai.

"Gate Four is now boarding for Sydney, Australia", a woman's voice rang on the airport's loudspeaker system.

"Oh! That's my flight, so I need to go. I'll see you later!" Mathilda said before exiting the center of the group without a second thought to the three spectators who were present through the entire event. Keeping joyful laughter contained, she didn't bother hiding her smile while making her way once more through the crowds.

The future looked promising for more than one reason.

Kai, meanwhile felt an inquiring gaze given by icy blue optics. He looked at his team captain, returning to his stoic expression.

"Kai?" Tala asked, not needing to voice the entire question. It was obvious what he was wanted to know.

Kai gave a brief, truthful explanation. "She's more like us than you think."

* * *

Odd pairing, no? I hope I did this justice and you enjoyed it. Please give me feedback. Every review makes my day brighter. Now, it's 11:04 pm where I am. It's so late and it's a school night! I still need to do my homework as well. Keep in mind, I did this for you. The least you can do is give me a lil review.

Question: Do you want me to make a sequal?

If you like rareships, then check out either my Tala/Hilary or Bryan/Julia. It's so late, I need to go! I'll be back in the morning hoping for a review from you, my lovely reviewers.

Ciao For Now Everyone!


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